


Sometimes . . . Dead is Better

by writeyourownlifestory



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Animal Death, F/M, Gay Bashing, Hate Crime, M/M, Murder, Pet Semetary, Pet Semetary au, Zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2020-12-31 19:48:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21151229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeyourownlifestory/pseuds/writeyourownlifestory
Summary: You know what they say about Derry, no one who dies here ever really dies.IT + Pet Semetary = fun times for no one involved





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I must warn you, this story isn't for the light of heart. It opens with the death of an animal and while I tried not to make everything excessively gory, there is no denying that I went into detail on some things. Please, if you're not okay with that sort of stuff, do not read this.
> 
> Also, I brought their age down from the second film by 10 years, so they're about 27-30 here. No real reason.

It all started when their dog passed away.

They had decided to spend their summer vacation in Maine, a terrible decision on their parents as the city had far more to offer than their sleepy little town. Eddie had just started a new job and was only given a week to take off during the months of June to August. They chose July because that’s when it would be the least offensively hot in Maine. 

Richie had landed a pretty sweet job interviewing celebrities for Podcasts. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted to do with his life, but he’d take it over being unemployed. Rather than sit around in their apartment for a week like Richie had hoped they would, they packed up their travel-sized belongings and headed back to the town they grew up in. 

Despite his mother begging him to stay in his old childhood bedroom, Eddie put his foot down and settled to rent a room in the local townhouse. Sonia Kaspbrak wasn’t happy about it, but so long as Eddie was back, she’d deal. 

Richie was content with this choice. For one, his own family no longer lived in Derry, so it wasn’t like he had anywhere to offer. Second, Eddie’s bedroom, which was basically a shrine to the poor guy, was too small for them to both fits. Not that Sonia would even allow Richie to stay there. She had never lived Richie, neither as Eddie’s friend or boyfriend, so Richie was sure if they were going to stay at the Kaspbrak house, he’d be sleeping on that uncomfortable couch. 

Luckily, Eddie cared about his well being enough to not force him to do that and they got themselves a room with a mattress big enough for them both. 

It started off pretty good. Eddie’s mother was beginning him to come over and spend time with her, wanting him to use up all seven days with just her. He compromised and gave as much time as he could while also meeting up with some old friends. Mike Hanlon still lived in Derry, running the library as the local historian. 

Most of the group had moved on out of Derry, choosing to have lives of their own. The only ones they saw often enough were Bill Denbrough and Stanley Uris, who went back and forth from Long Island to California depending on whether or not Bill’s latest novel was to be turned into a script. The last time Richie and Eddie saw Ben Hanscom and Beverly (formerly Marsh) Hanscom was when they announced the birth of their first child. 

It was tough growing up and growing apart from the people you always left closest to. Eddie and Richie were lucky as they always had each other. Through all the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations, Eddie had Richie and Richie had Eddie. It wasn’t easy because hello, being gay in Maine was never easy, but they made it work back in high school and they’d make it work here. 

The first day had been them getting comfortable and meeting up with Mike for dinner. It was nice seeing a friendly face to talk about all the things that changed. The Aladdin was still standing, still looking as beaten up as ever. The standpipe was still the obnoxious eyesore that made the town look ever so picturesque. Keene’s drug store was still around and Richie made sure to tease Eddie about picking up his inhaler replacement. 

They hung out and enjoyed themselves in the townhouse. Eddie was still iffy about certain things and made sure to change the sheets on the bed with the ones they had brought from home. It was for the best and Richie wasn’t going to argue with him, especially since Eddie was more than kind enough to allow Richie to messy them up in their own way when they got home from dinner. 

It was the following day that everything turned to shit. Eddie had promised to spend the entire day with his mother, leaving Richie to fend for himself in the penthouse. Along with their luggage, they also brought along with dog Penny. She was a preciously little Pomeranian who was sweeter than candy and the apple of their eye. They had been thinking of getting a pet for a while and after finally buying a place of their own, they went down to the shelter to pick one out. 

Pure breed dogs like Penny weren’t usually brought to places like that, rather sold by a breeder, but they were in luck. Her mother had been put up for adoption while pregnant and the puppies were scattered across the shelter. They took the smallest one because it reminded Richie so much of Eddie and welcomed her into their home. 

They weren’t too sure where the name came from. Richie joked that they called her Penny because she was dirt cheap compared to so many other dogs that literally cost you an arm and a leg just to have. Eddie liked to think they got it from “Penny Lane” the Beatle song, but neither was right or wrong. 

Now, the thing about the townhouse was that the whole thing hadn’t been updated since they were kids. No nice TVs or anything from the modern era. There were fans offered, but no AC unit in place. Richie was suffering from the heat and opened the far window in hopes of casting a bit of fresh air into the place. 

He sat on the couch with his computer, trying to come up with some new material for the standup special he had been working on. He was funny and knew he could be funny outside of the podcast world. All he needed was the material to show it off. 

Well, Penny was a precocious little pup and always liked to inspect things. She hopped up onto the window sill and began yapping at the birds on the outside. She had done the same thing yesterday, except the difference was there were several inches of glass keeping her at bay. Now there was no barrier between them, so nothing stopped the poor thing from leaping out the window, charging at the birds. 

Unlike the birds however, she didn’t have wings to keep her from falling the several stories down onto the pavement below. It was only the sound of her whimpering that caught Richie’s ear. It didn’t take much for the man to realize what happened and by the time he got down to the street belong, Penny was suffering more than any animal should. 

Richie was distraught. Despite never having been known to be an animal person, Penny was as close to as a child that Eddie and he were going to have for a while. She was literally their baby. They had taken her at the moment she was able to get off drinking from her mother. They bought her toys and little outfits. Eddie talked about buying a carriage so he could push her around while jogging because her little legs were just too short for the three-mile trip he’d take around the city.

She even had her own corner in their bedroom and a dog house in the living room of their place, but at the end of the day, she always ended up sleeping on their bed. 

Eddie even put a little staircase at the foot of the bed so she could hop on up without issue. 

And now she was dead on the ground, having fallen from their fucking room because Richie couldn’t just put up with the heat. 

He felt awful. Disgusting and terrible. Eddie would hate him for this, that much was obvious. He’d call him every bad name in the book because he just had to open up the window. Even if it was a mistake, an innocent one, that didn’t stop Richie from feeling like garbage. 

He called Mike because he had no other idea of what to do. He didn’t know if there were any local vets or anything like that. There was no way they’d be burying her here. The last thing Richie wanted was to leave their precious little Penny behind. 

Richie thought about cremating her and bringing her back up to New York. They could scatter her ashes along the water or keep her in an urn in their apartment. Eddie would probably want to leave a little memorial at her favorite park. They didn’t have a backyard or anything like that, so they took her to the dog park two to three times a week. 

When Mike came, they sat together, with Penny tucked away inside one of the meatpacking boxes. 

He wanted to wait for Eddie. He had to wait for Eddie because if they guy came home and Richie told him that he was gone and Eddie didn’t even get to say goodbye, then that would just make it so much worse. 

They sat together in the alleyway behind the townhouse, smoking as Richie thought about his fate and how angry Eddie would be. 

“She used to curl up on Eddie’s lap whenever he was trying to work.” He mentioned to Mike with a loving smile. “All she ever wanted to do was cuddle us and we let her because we were mushes. Now she’s gone.” 

Richie rubbed his eyes behind his glasses, ignoring the fear of tears coming on. He felt sick to his stomach and looked over to the box just a few feet away from him. 

“My dog died when I was a kid,” Mike admitted quietly. “It was before we met. Henry Bowers gave him meat that was laced with insect poison. Guess he thought the old mutt was an eyesore.” 

Richie shivered at the thought of Bowers and all the old memories came flooding back to him. He had been a thorn in Richie’s side even before he realized he was gay though the latter didn’t help matters much. He was a racist, homophobic shit who probably went nowhere in life. Or worse, actually made something of himself. 

Either way, the less they spoke about Bowers the better. 

“My grandfather told me about a place high up on the hills near the old Native American tribute. Apparently, the place still has some magic hidden up there or something. Anyway, hecarried the old boy there and the next day, he was back.” 

“Back? Like . . . back from the dead?” 

“I can’t explain it, but he was back. Different, but back.” 

“Different how?” 

“Mean,” Mike confessed, putting out the butt of his cigarette on the nearby wall. “He was pretty vicious. Broke into the barn and killed a couple of sheep. My grandfather ended up putting him down because he was becoming such a problem.”

“Penny couldn’t kill a thing. Barely weights five pounds.” Richie mentioned, looking from Mike to the box. He didn’t believe in magic or anything of the sorts, but he was a desperate man. “Where was this place?” 

Turned out to be twenty minutes away by car, out towards where Mike lived and even further than that. The sky was turning dark by the time they got there and passing through the woods didn’t make it any easier. 

“I want you to know the only reason I brought you here is that you’re my friend,” Mike told him calmly as they made their way down the path. There was a small area with handmade gravestones and a sign reading “Pet Sematary” hanging above. The incorrect spelling would drive Eddie crazy and Richie found himself smiling just thinking of it. 

“So what, I just . . . pick a place?” 

“Not here,” Mike said and carried down past the bushels of woods and up the hill town until they came upon a bleak circle with Native American carvings all along the ground. 

“Have you been here before?” Richie asked carefully. 

“Once. My grandfather and I were looting the area for anything we thought we could sell.” Mike admitted. 

“You stole from Native Americans? Don’t they have enough to deal with?” Richie inquired. 

With a slight glare, he continued. “He showed me this place and told me a few things about it. He didn’t want me to be curious and find it on my own. Mike paused, turning to hand Richie the shovel as he took the box that contained Penny. “You bury your own.” He told him. “That’s the rule.”

With one last sigh, Richie got to digging. He didn’t think any of this would work, but he was desperate to find out. If it all turned out to be some sick joke on Mike’s end, then at least they could call the trip short. Richie would dig up Penny and they’d go to the next town over to cremate her. They’d handle her ashes properly and Richie would take whatever punishment Eddie had planned for him. 

When he was finished, he found himself more tired than expected. Like the place took away whatever energy he had to offer it. He got back to the townhouse and fell into the bed, falling asleep before even realizing it. 

When he woke the following morning, it was to the sound of Eddie yelling at him. He jolted up, not knowing what day it was or why he was being hassled. He pushed himself up and out of bed, realizing only now he still had his muddy shoes on. 

He stepped out of the bedroom and found Eddie on the floor, kneeling down beside a very dirty Penny. Her normally golden fur was matted with dirt and she was yipping around and around, much like the bubble ball of energy she was before. 

“Seriously? What the hell did you do, take her running through the woods?” Eddie demanded, looking up to Richie. “And you! What, did you sleep in dirty clothes?”

“You didn’t come home last night,” Richie mumbled, rubbing his hand against his face. 

“Mom had me watch one of those _Turner Classic Movie Marathons._ I fell asleep on the couch. I texted you but I never got a reply.” Eddie stood them, carrying Penny in his arms. “Come on, pretty girl. You need a bath. And Papa is gonna be the one to do it.”

Penny was shoved in his arms before he could even properly respond. Shuffling off to the bathroom, he listened to Eddie go on and on about his day with his mother while he got the tub set up for Penny. 

He watched the dog curiously, trying to piece together what the hell happened. For a split second, Richie thought that the entire events of last night had been a horrible dream. Maybe he had just taken Penny out somewhere and they both got dirty. This town always gave him headaches, a little memory loss was no surprise to him.

“Rich, why is the window open?” Eddie asked as he popped his head into the bathroom. “In the living room. It’s wide open, you didn’t leave it open all night, did you? What if a bird got in? I swear I leave you alone for a fucking day.” 

Richie stared with wide eyes at the dog that was digging into the bathroom rug. If last night wasn’t a dream, then that would mean Penny came back from the dead. How the fuck did she get back to the apartment? How did she get into the apartment? Nothing made sense to Richie, but he tried to ignore it all as he lifted her up and put her into the tub. 

Normally, Penny was a lover of bath time. At their own apartment, they had plenty of room in their double-sized tub so it wouldn’t be a surprise for her to whine and whimper until Eddie lifted her up and they all bathed together on nights when they just needed some relaxation.

She would sit and allow Eddie to wash her and blow bubbled with her nose. Richie had countless pictures of her on his phone where she had colorful shower caps on to keep her ears or rubber duckies to keep her entertained. 

Now, the former majestic and comforting dog was growling and yipping at Richie, going so far as to bite his arm when he tried to wash her. Richie couldn’t remember a single time that Penny had a bit at him, had snapped at all, but he chose not to question it. 

She was back and they’d live with the attitude adjustment for now. He made a mental note to message Mike and give him a heads up about the place, but for now, he had a zombie dog to wash.

After the bath, Richie let Penny go and she moved around the apartment, going into the corner sit alone. Richie also took a shower, washing away all the dirt under his hair and somehow in his hair. He changed into clean clothes and found the dirty sheets had already been stripped and changed by Eddie, who was back in the kitchen, typing away on his computer as he drank his coffee. 

“I thought we agreed on no work?” He asked casually, going to plop down onto the couch. 

“Not work. Social stuff. Updating statues and all that.” Eddie moved forward, going to sit beside him on the couch. He held up his laptop, showing a picture from facebook. It was from Beverly and Ben with their baby on the beach. An adorable scene with Beverly completely slathered in sunscreen because of her pale complexion and Ben wearing the ugliest fucking hat he has ever seen. “Aren’t they adorable?” 

Richie had to smile. He wasn’t wrong. They were very, very cute because how could they not be? They had been together since the end of high school. Lots of back and forth before Beverly finally grew a brain and realized the one she wanted and needed was Ben. They were a gorgeous family and Richie was envious of her happiness. 

“That could be us someday,” Eddie ventured with a smile. 

“Babe, you wear like . . . three times more sunblock than Beverly and if you think I’m wearing a hat that horrendous, you’re mistaken.” 

“Not that, dumbass. The baby!” Right. The _child_. 

Eddie had talked about it before. The whole adoption thing. Richie wasn’t opposed to it. Eddie had originally suggested fostering but Richie shut that down hardcore because he knew better. He knew Eddie would never be able to let the kid go so at least if they adopted right off the bat, they wouldn’t have to deal with anybody coming and trying to take the kid away from them. 

“Eds, we’ve tried to remember? We just can’t seem to get you pregnant,” Richie teased, the tip of his nose nuzzling Eddie’s cheek. 

Eddie sighed, closing the computer and placing it onto the coffee table beside Richie’s. They had talked about a lot of things. Adoption. Marriage. Growing old together. His own parents lived happily together raising two kids before retiring to Flordia. They weren’t perfect, but they didn’t have to be. Richie just hoped to be half the kind of partner his father had been, even if he wanted to be a better father. 

“Your mom's not gonna cry and beg you to spend the night again, will she?” Richie asked curiously. 

“Probably, but I won’t go. I told her I’d see her later this week but I want to use this time wisely and actually enjoy my vacation. Not just run around and do errands for her.” 

“What a good son you are, Eddie Bear,” Richie said, kissing his cheeks wetly. Eddie groaned and pushed him away, causing Richie to laugh out. “Seriously, though. Do you have any plans? Did you sign us up for anything? No one to have dinner with?” 

“I don’t think so.” 

“Well, then what do you say to a good old fashioned date, huh? I was thinking: movies, dinner, and a walk along rickety Kissing Bridge?” 

It was what they did when they were teenagers. Hang back at the top of the theater, grabbed pizza at the local parlor, and spit loogies off the bridge to the river below. Of course, as they got older and became an item, things became more romantic. They held hands during the movies and separated from the others for dinner. The only spit they shared at the bridge were kisses shared in secret. It wasn’t ideal, but it was good enough for them. 

“I think you got yourself a date, Tozier.” Eddie decided, turning his head to kiss Richie. 

It almost deepened then and while Richie would have been more than happy to let Eddie have his way with him right on the couch, they both turned away to see Penny pissing on the TV stand. 

“Penny! What the hell?” Normally when the pup had to go she would let out a whimper and circle at the door. She was well trained; they had her certificate at doggy school and everything, but none of that seemed to matter anymore. Eddie pushed up off the couch to clean up and Richie watched as the dog walked on, obviously not giving a single fuck. 

They changed and left the apartment. Richie worried about what Penny would do when they were gone, what trouble she would get into. She wasn’t a messy dog; she had been a wonderful puppy and didn’t even chew on a single shoe, but now that she was . . . different, he worried about what would come of it. 

Richie couldn’t think about that right now. He wanted to focus on something better and that was going out on a date with his boyfriend. They chose whatever the theater was playing when they arrived. Didn’t bother to check online, mostly cause Eddie wasn’t even sure the Aladdin even had a website. They chose The Monkey’s Paw, some old black and white film that was playing; bought their large popcorn and sodas and went up to the top ledge as they did as kids. 

Richie kicked his feet up, waiting for Eddie to do the same so they could intertwine their ankles. They shared the popcorn and a few kisses as the film played on. It wasn’t a horrible movie; definitely worth the time to see it through Richie found he much preferred to watch Eddie than to watch whatever was happening on screen. 

When it was over, they tossed out their containers and left the theatre. Eddie was talking a mile a minute about the movie they just watched, all the while Richie just smiled and nodded along. They went to the nearby diner for dinner and Richie watched as Eddie searched and searched before finally deciding to go with a plain burger. He asked what kind of grease they used, but gave up trying afterward because it was fucking Derry Maine, they couldn’t expect anything to be healthy around here, even with the growing vegan trend.

They shared fries and onion rings, talking about all the fun they used to have when they were kids, trying to split the bill with their allowances; counting nickels and dimes just to make it. Now they were both making money and paying for the bill was with a quick swipe of the credit card. 

It was a calm night, sitting and chatting with each other as Richie continued to flood the table jukebox, playing all the songs they grew up with. He ended on “Together Forever” by Rick Astley because it was loud and dramatic, the exact opposite of Eddie. Richie sang it to him lovingly, not caring if anybody watched. The look he got from Eddie was more than enough. A glance that says: _you’re a total idiot but you’re _my_ total idiot._

What more could he ever want?

When they finished, Richie persuaded Eddie to take a walk with him. It was late, but not too late. The moon was high in the sky, just after sundown. The heat settled and the breeze was beginning to pick up around them. 

They walked down the lane together, right up to Kissing Bridge. Eddie read the names aloud, trying to think if he knew any of the people. They stopped when they came upon the all too familiar carving. Richie had done it back when they were just kids. Barely fourteen at the time and completely in love with his best friend. The carving was faded by now, but the sentiment meant the same. 

R + E

Richie plus Eddie. 

“Forever and ever, babe,” Richie mentioned, going to lean against the bridge. He watched Eddie, catching the moonlight in his eyes and in his hair. He was gorgeous and always would be. “You know . . . I had been thinking about this for a while.” 

“You: thinking? Oh, that can’t be good.” Eddie laughed softly. 

“It’s kind of obvious that you’re it for me, Eduardo. And unless you can find another ugly mother fucking with a gangly body, I think I might be it for you too.” 

“Depends on if the circus is coming to town,” Eddie mentioned, a loving smile coming across his face. 

“Eds. I’m sure there are thousands of ways I could do this and maybe waiting until we get back to New York is the better choice, but call me a sentimental fuck, but I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather ask you this.” 

He had both the ring a month ago, knowing eventually they’d have the time together and he’d be able to ask. Richie couldn’t think of a better place than their hometown. Not because of the idealistic ways around it, but rather because what would be a better fuck you to this horrible town than being extremely gay smack dab in the middle of it? 

Richie got down onto one knee, holding out the ring box he had fished from his jacket pocket. It was white gold with an overlay of diamonds. Simple and elegant, just like Eddie himself. 

“Eddie Spaghetti,” 

Eddie laughed, his cheeks turning scarlet in the moonlight. “Christ Rich,” 

“Would you do the honor of marrying me?” 

“Do you really think I’d say no, asshole? Yes! One hundred times yes,” 

Richie’s smile was as bright as the fucking moon. He slipped the ring on, which was the perfect size because he knew exactly what size finger Eddie had. He knew more about Eddie than he knew about himself sometimes. 

When all was said and done he stood, towering over the other male, though he bent forward to kiss him, not caring at his glasses were pushed up against his nose. They’d deal with it later. 

Lost in their kiss, neither noticed the car stopping in the middle of the bridge or the driver getting out of it. When they broke away, Richie turned to see an all too familiar blue thunderbird idling on the bridge and coming over to them was the same mullet-wearing asshole that made his life a living hell all those years ago. 

“Well, ain't this a pretty sight.” Henry Bowers muttered, looking over to his companions. 

“Hello to you too, Bowers,” Eddie said, looking the group up and down slowly. 

“Tozier and Kaspbrak. Haven’t seen your ugly faces around here in a while.” Henry mentioned. “Thought I got rid of your losers.” 

“No, that was college. We went there while you stayed and jerked off into a bucket.” Richie replied back easily. 

“Always knew you two were fucking each other. What? Marsh’s puss wasn’t good enough so you two turned into a couple of faggots?” 

“There is so much wrong in everything you just said.” Eddie groaned, rubbing at his temple. The ring caught the moonlight and Henry’s attention. 

“Well, I guess congratulations are in order,” Henry mentioned, approaching slowly. He placed a hand on Richie’s shoulder, that sadistic smile that always sent a shiver down Richie’s spine shined darkly. “Welcome home,” He said cheerfully before driving his fist into Richie’s stomach. 

It wasn’t their first beating. They had taken blows by Bowers and his gang before and back in New York they were used to someone shouting something at them despite it being new age. They went back and forth, each putting up a fight because they weren’t going to let Bowers win this round. 

It came to a close when he tried to take Eddie’s ring. The shorter male bought back, going so far as to land a punch right in Henry’s eye. That pissed him off enough to brandish the knife he always kept in the back pocket. He held onto Eddie’s hand tightly, threatening to cut off his finger and wear the ring around his neck as a souvenir. 

At this point, it wasn’t worth it and Richie was shouting for Eddie to just give it up. The other assholes were holding him down, refusing to let him up to help Eddie. 

Bowers licked the knife slowly, bringing the tip of it to Eddie’s face to teach him. In a swift move, Eddie jerked forward, kneeing Henry in the dick. The pain was enough to send a surge of angry through him and Bower buried the knife in Eddie’s face, cutting deeply into his cheek. 

Eddie cried out, both in shock and pain, while Bowers decided to let the knife stay there as he punched the rest of Eddie’s face until his knuckles were bloody. 

Richie thought it would end there. He thought they would be left beaten and bloody, but alive in the middle the street. 

They couldn’t get that lucky. 

Using the last bit of strength he had, Eddie muttered one final thought. “You should cut that fucking mullet. It’s been like twenty years, man.” 

With that, Bowers offered one more blow before standing to his feet. He shouted for the others to come over and help him. They left Richie on the other side of the road to watch as they dragged Eddie over, to the wall of the bridge. And in one smooth move, they lifted him up and tossed him over into the river below. 

Richie was left screaming, spitting out blood onto the road as Bowers and his gang drove away. Using whatever strength he had left, Richie pushed himself up, scooping his glasses from the ground, and hurried around to where the opening of the bridge led to the river. He tripped twice and fell first into the edge of the water, pushing himself up onto wobbly legs as he went deeper into the water and over to where Eddie was floating. 

“Eddie. Eddie! Wake up, babe. Baby, wake up.” Richie muttered, rolling Eddie over so his face was out of the water.

His eyes were open and his neck was slack. Richie could think of countless times he had gazed into those eyes as a child, as a teen, as a man. No matter the situation, Eddie always seemed to have a wonderful glimmer there. 

That glimmer was gone now and replacing it was nothing more than a vacant stare that went nowhere. 

His face was mutilated and despite lying in the water for over three minutes, there was no washing the blood away. It stained his skin in the worst way, leaving him wet and icky. 

He was completely unresponsive and while it was plain to see that he wasn’t dealing with shock or just fell contentious, Richie continued to hold onto him and mutter his name, rocking him slowly until someone above spotted and alerted the authorities. 

Richie was treated for his wounds at the hospital while Eddie was taken away by the coroner. It still hadn’t hit Richie yet that this happened. That Eddie was dead. When he spoke to the hospital officials, they said a full autopsy hasn’t been done but their best guess was a broken neck and drowning. 

They cleaned him up and stitched up any wounds he had, leaving him looking more like Frankenstein than anything. He called Mike, not knowing what else to do in this situation. And Mike called Stanley and Bill because this wasn’t something Richie should have to deal with alone.

When Richie tried to report the crime, however, he found himself being rebuffed. 

“Henry Bowers couldn’t have done this,” The officer on call explained to him. “He’s on the force. He might be a hothead like his old man, but he wouldn’t break the law. He is the law.” 

“Do you think I am fucking lying about this?” Richie practically screamed. 

“You already said his dad was a hothead. What makes you think Bowers wouldn’t do this?” Mike challenged the officer. 

“Because he is an officer. Now, unless you want to give me a real report, I suggest you deal with your own trouble.” 

The officer walked away and the only reason why he didn’t straight up maul the officer was because of Mike holding him back. 

“I haven’t even seen him!” Richie shouted to Mike, beginning to pace the hospital, having not seen Eddie since they arrived at the hospital. “I don’t even fucking know where he is.” 

He was breaking down. He knew he was breaking down and there was no way to stop it. Richie wanted to fall to the ground and cry, not caring who saw him. He had just proposed. They were going to get married. They were going to look into adoption, they would have a family. Everything was going so fucking well for them and now it felt like the world was falling apart around them.

Mike ended up sweet talking one of the nurses into letting Richie see Eddie. He was given a five-minute window, which seemed cruel for a man who watched his lover died. 

He laid on the slab completely still, eyes still wide open as he looked out over nothing. They washed away the blood, though the bruises still remained. There was no point in stitching him up, leaving the wound open on his cheese.

There was no denying it anymore. He wasn’t just frozen in the moment or in a vegetative state. Eddie Kaspbrak was dead and there was no going back. 

Richie could only apologize so many times but he’d go on and on for as long as it took. He was so fucking sorry. Sorry that he let Penny fall from the window. Sorry that he fought with his mother to the point where she didn’t want him at her house. Sorry that he bothered to propose in public in such a fucked uptown. 

Richie was just so fucking sorry. 

All their plans were gone. All their hopes were gone. Eddie was gone. 

But he didn’t have to be.

In the darkest part of Richie’s mind, he knew there had to be a way it would work. It worked on a dog, so why not a man? Anything was possible, right? And if it didn’t work, then at least then he would know and he could have closure. If it didn’t work then he’d confess to everything and they’d bury Eddie for real. They’d give him a proper burial and his mom would have Richie even more but that was fine. 

It was worth a shot. 

Stealing a body from a hospital wasn’t easy and he didn’t really know what to do once he slipped through the back door. He carried Eddie, wrapped up in the sheet from the hospital, all the way to the area that Mike had first taken him too. Richie had never been very strong, but he found the strength to take Eddie all the way up there.

He walked down the path and up the hill. He went passed the dead animals and into the circle. He found a place right in the middle and started digging. He dug, and dug, and dug until there was nothing left but a gaping hole. 

He pulled Eddie into it, holding him for just a moment longer. 

“Come back to me,” He muttered, laying him down in the dirt. “You fucking come back to me, you understand?” 

Pulling himself out of the hole, Richie pushed all the dirt back on until Eddie was completely covered. Lightening light up the sky and rain began to fall down, though he carried on until the hole was complete. He walked back down the trail in a trance, stopping only when he found Mike at the bottom. 

“I couldn’t find you,” Mike said, his voice low and shaking. He looked over Richie, seeing the dirt on his clothes and on his hands. “I couldn’t find you and I knew. Richie . . . whatever you did-”

“It’s done,” Richie told him simply, pushing passed him to continue ongoing down the lane. 

“Whatever you think you did, it won’t work. Whatever returns to you, it won’t be Eddie!” Mike warned. He reached back, grabbing Richie’s arm to stop him from walking. “My grandfather had a friend, Rich. His son died overseas and he was so desperate to have him back-”

“It’s done, Mike!” Richie shouted to him, pushing him off. “The law won’t do anything, what other choice did I have?!”

Nobody would listen to Richie, nobody cared about what he had to say. He was just another gay man. Useless and pathetic. Wanting all the attention. There was no way they would believe him if he tried to bring this to outside police or even to court. An off duty police officer vs a homosexual. 

There would have been proof. They found the knife that was plunged into Eddie’s cheek; it had the initials of Bower's father along the body of it. And it wasn’t like Richie could kick the shit out of himself and Eddie and still have the strength to push him over the bridge. 

All the proof was there, but they still wouldn’t listen. Richie, in his desperation and depression, saw no real solution to this problem. 

“Using a fucking Native American burial ground should have never been a choice!” Mike insisted.

“You showed it to be in the first place.” 

“For your _dog_! Not your _boyfriend_!” 

Richie’s eyes glazed over, his head shaking as his glasses became fogged up from the rain. “Eddie will come back. Just like Penny did.”

“It won’t end well, Richie,” Mike warned, but the other man wasn’t listening. 

He just kept walking down the lane, all the way back to the townhouse. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slight necrophilia for this chapter. They get naughty even though Eddie isn't actually alive anymore.

Richie woke up alone in bed, feeling more exhausted than he had in a while. He remembered being back in college, pulling all-nighters so he could study and then spending the entire morning and afternoon in the radio station on campus. It wasn’t a job and barely paid inexperience, but it counted towards his credits, so it was worth the lack of sleep. 

He did this for an entire semester, only making it by thanks to an energy drink, ramen noodles, and the support of a very loving and attractive boyfriend who offered a warm bed when he could actually sleep and an even warming mouth when they decided to get frisky. 

Now he was an adult, waking up in a bed that was not his own, in clothes that were covered in dirt and wrinkled from the rain. For a small moment, Richie had forgotten what happened. Forgot about the date night that led to disaster. Forgot seeing Eddie’s distorted body in the basement of the hospital. Forgot about bringing him to the burial ground. 

And then it all came flooding back to him when Penny hopped up onto the bed, yipping at him with a strange array of annoyance. Penny had never been very strong and jumping high was out of character for her, but she got up onto the bed with very little issue. Richie pushed her away as he went to stand, inspecting the room around him and then out to the rest of the suite. There was no sign of anybody other than himself in the entire place. 

He sat on the couch, letting the realization come over him. As Penny came towards him, Richie scooped the pup up, ignoring the growling as he held her in his arms. 

“How did you come back?” He asked her in a heavy sigh. She growled, baring her teeth in an attempt to look menacing. “How the fuck are you here and he isn’t?” 

Penny bit him then, right on the arm and Richie tossed the dog away. For a long moment, he thought perhaps it was nothing but a nightmare. Penny didn’t really die and was just turning into the bitch she was meant to be. Eddie was still at his mother’s and he didn’t suffer a horrible fate at the hand of off-duty officer Henry Bowers. 

Pulling his glasses off, he set them onto the coffee table, rubbing a hand over his face as he went into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. He hoped that they had packed enough liquor to spike his drink as it seemed like something he would need. A dash of bourbon never hurt anyone after all. 

He heard the door open and he found that his suspicions were correct. All of this was just a horrible dream. He reentered the living room, intent on welcoming Eddie home, but he found himself unable to make any words. 

Eddie had indeed back, except he didn’t look like Eddie. His vision might be blurry, but he knew what Eddie looked like well enough to spot the difference. The man standing in front of him was dirty from head to toe. His clothes were ripped and drenched, covered in blood and mud. His skin was darker, practically tainted by the dirt and there was a gaping hole in his cheek. 

His eyes were bloodshot and his head was cocked slightly from the dislocation of his neck. There were bruises along his face, results of being punched repeatedly by Bowers. 

Richie couldn’t scream. He couldn’t react. The coffee cup slipped from his head, shattering to the floor as the liquid inside splashed all around him. As Eddie stepped forward, Richie stepped back. It was a fluid dance between the two until Richie was pushed back against the corner where he crumbled to his feet, trembling into a frozen mess. 

Eddie reached forward then, extending a dirty hand out until he was touching Richie’s face. 

And suddenly, everything was a little less blurry. Eddie placed Richie’s glasses back onto his face, over his eyes so the sight was clear and the reality of the situation was a bit more real. 

“Richie,” Eddie breathed out slowly. His voice was more of a gurgle, but Richie heard his own name enough to make it out. Eddie looked the other male slowly, those bloodshot eyes taking him in at he towered above him for the first time ever. “You’re dirty, Richie.” He muttered quietly. 

“S-so is you,” Richie replied dumbly. 

Eddie looked himself over, saying nothing. Richie couldn’t imagine Eddie was happy with how he looked. He was dirty all over, with bloody and mud-covered him head to toe. His clothes were destroyed and his hair was practically matted. 

Richie stood slowly, leaning against the wall for support as he looked over his boyfriend. No. Fiancé. The ring was still on his finger; the white gold shining beside the mess. Richie reached out then, pulling Eddie into him. He held him closely, just taking in his very existence. He didn’t smell like the Eddie he knew, but he could fix that. 

“Come on. Let’s get cleaned up.” 

The bathroom wasn’t big like their one at home and it took some shifting for them to both fit into the shower, but they made it work. Richie only needed a quick rinse to take away the dirt on his body, but Eddie was a different story. He pushed him under the spray, lathering him up with the lavender soap Eddie packed from home since the shit they had here didn’t do anything for them except dry out their skin. 

Slowly the water began to turn brown and then a slight red as the dried blood was swept from his body, and then finally black as he was completely washed off. He held onto his wrist a moment or two as he helped him out and found that he had no pulse. He was talking to him and responding with his own words, but he wasn’t breathing. 

And yet he was alive. 

“Is it bad?” Eddie asked as Richie inspected his wounds. They sat on the couch, sitting in their underwear after finally cleaning themselves up. 

The bruises could be hidden away with medical supplies or makeup. Wasn’t the first time they had used it to hide the marks that had been given to them by bullies. Being gay in a small town wasn’t something Richie would ever suggest to anyone. 

The hole in his cheek was no longer bleeding but was still there. Richie didn’t know if he could bring him to the hospital to fix it or if he should just sew it up himself.

He chose the latter, mostly because if the hospital might be a bit concerned about his lack of plus and also the last time he was there, he was a corpse. 

“It’s fine. I’m gonna make it better.” He promised, going into Eddie’s carry on bag so he could get the emergency sewing skit out. Nothing about this was ideal and he waited for Eddie to snap at him for even thinking of doing makeshift stitching, but nothing came. Eddie just sat there quietly, waiting for Richie to get it over with. He used a lighter to sanitize the needle, gently kissing Eddie’s wound before setting in to fix the hole. 

He didn’t jolt or make any movement. It didn’t even seem to hurt him. Eddie just sat there, letting Richie fix the hole in his face before he patched it up with a facial bandage. 

“There. Gorgeous like always.” He swore, kissing his lips softly. 

He stayed pressed against him, sighing in softly. He still didn’t smell like himself, but rather a bit of lavender and something else. Eddie leaned into him, his hand lacing his fingers around Richie’s as they sat and held one another for a moment. 

For a short while, it felt like everything was okay in the world. Eddie was back and so was Penny, who had circled at Eddie’s feet like old times They were sitting together as a small little family as they did before. 

Eddie was watching him for a moment, those bloodshot eyes focusing on his face before leaning in to kiss him. It was deeper than before, a bit more sloppy. Eddie’s head was cocked slightly from his snapped neck and his arm was twisted a strange way from how he had fallen from the water. 

He stood then, using his second arm to adjust his first, snapping it back into its socket. The sound was harsh and had Richie jumping in disgust. He used his hands and twisted his own head back into a proper position; the sound of cracking bones hitting Richie’s stomach in such a terrible way. 

Eddie kissed him after that, fingers with nails that had dirt pushed underneath gripped onto his face as their kiss deepened in a way that showed Richie that the man meant business. 

Richie walked backward, letting Eddie lead him back to their bedroom. They had done this before; the endless need and want for one another. Their college years had been filled with quick fucks in their dorms or their cars or really any space they could fit into. 

As they got older and leased their first apartment, they made use of the space and the small bed that came with it. And as they got older and purchased their larger space that they currently resided in, they used every surface for their own benefit. 

Of course, they were older now. Hitting thirty just this year. They didn’t have time to constantly have sex, but they enjoyed their time together, using any excuse they could to have a date night. If Richie’s podcast lasted longer than expected he would bring home takeout and they’d sit on the couch, feeding one another and stealing nips and kisses. If Eddie woke up early to go jogging, he would bring home smoothies and wake Richie up in the most delicious of ways. 

Now was just like those times. Eddie came back, not from a jog but the dead, and even if he didn’t wake Richie up, he was still surprising him nonetheless. Eddie had another worldly sense of desire him in and Richie allowed the other man to lead the way. 

They weren’t wearing anything other than their boxers, so undressing wasn’t necessary. The small barrier between them was removed and Eddie pushed Richie onto the bed, kissing him deeply as his hand wrapped around Richie’s now awakened member. 

They were rushing, though Richie had no idea why. Maybe Eddie was just so happy to be back that he didn’t want to waste another second? He didn’t know nor could he fully care. While Eddie took the time to unpack all their bags, Richie had very little idea where anything was. Lube was something they always packed as you never knew when you’d need it, but where the bottle had been stashed was up the air. 

Eddie didn’t seem to mind, however. He licked his palm slowly, lathering it up before going back to jerking Richie off. Eddie had always hated to use spit for lube. It never fully worked and always made for difficult lovemaking. They kept multiple bottles on hand from this point on, though something told Richie that whatever switch inside Eddie’s head that cared for such little things was temporarily flipped off. 

When Eddie deemed Richie’s cock ready, he moved closely onto his hips. Normally the man would prep himself; even make somewhat of a show of it. Something about watching Eddie figure himself was far too delicious for Richie to put into words, but there was no prep this time around. He straddled Richie’s hips and forced himself downwards, taking Richie’s cock inside of him without any words or thoughts exchanged. 

He was tighter than usual thanks to the lack of lube and preparation. They had stopped using condoms after college; an expression that the use was bad for the environment and they were smart enough to get themselves checked out every six months, even if they were exclusive. 

All Richie could do was lie back and watch as Eddie fucked himself on him. He was enjoying it, obviously, but he found himself practically transfixed on his lover. The way he handled himself was so different from the timid man who would blush as he gave a blow job. Sure, Eddie could be sexy and could get wild during sex, but there was always an air of embarrassment to it. He knew what he was doing was normal but to be seen like that when he was normally such a sweet little thing was almost too much for him to handle. 

Now he was riding Richie like he was a bull at a rodeo, circling his hips in ways that Richie hadn’t seen since they were in college, hopped up on energy drinks and sheer lust. Richie pulled Eddie down to him for another kiss, crying out as Eddie bit his lip. Blood escaped the small wound but Eddie licked it away, releasing a shout of his own as he arched his back, moving faster on top of Richie as his hands spread out against his chest to find his own leverage. 

It was over before either realized, with Richie finishing deep inside of his fiancé and Eddie on top of their stomachs. They were both left panting, something that surprised Richie as the last time he checked, Eddie didn’t have a pulse, though he couldn’t think hard enough to question it. He also couldn’t question how a man without any blood pumping through his veins was able to ejaculate. All he could do was be thankful for the impromptu fucking that arose from him returning. 

Eddie moved off Richie, going to lay beside him on the bed. He was quiet for a moment, just staring at the other man for some time. He reached out, tentatively running a finger along Richie’s cheek.

“I missed you,” He whispered, his voice sounding more like himself. 

Richie turned his head to look at him, ignoring the way his glasses pressed into his nose. He leaned forward, kissing Eddie slowly. He didn’t kiss back, but rather remained still and allowed Richie to have this moment. 

Richie would take it for all it was worth. 

They cleaned up again, this time choosing to get actually dressed. He helped Eddie pick something out, choosing simple jeans and a polo. He hoped that if Eddie looked like his normal self it would help him feel like his normal self. 

There was a knock on the door in between their dressing and Richie left Eddie in the bedroom to go answer it. It was Mike, looking more frantic than when Richie last saw him. 

“I’ve been calling you. Why haven’t you answered?” 

Richie thought for a moment and realized his phone was still in the pocket of his muddy jeans, tossed off into the hamper with the rest of their clothing. “Sorry. Got distracted.” 

“Rich, we have to talk about what you did.” Mike began, moving closer. Richie closed the door a bit more, allowing only his face and left the side of his body to be seen. Mike took in his body language, putting two and two together quite easily. “He’s back, isn’t he?” 

“He is. And whatever you have to say, I don’t want to hear it.” Richie told him. “We’re packing up our shit and we’re leaving. We’re gonna forget any of this ever happened.” 

“It’s not that simple, Rich.” 

“Mike!” Both turned their heads down the hall, watching as Bill and Stan hurried up the winding stairs. “Richie!” 

Richie had forgotten all about the call that Mike had made at the hospital. He had no memory of his two closest friends promising to come all the way back to Maine so that they could help him handle such a heavy burden. 

Richie stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him just as Bill came to pull him into a hug. “God. I’m sorry. I am so fucking sorry.” He muttered quietly. 

“Mike said there was an accident. What happened?” Stan mentioned, swapping places with Bill to embrace their taller friend. 

“Accident?” Richie mimicked. “Oh! Nothing. Fucking Bowers is as much of a cunt as he was back when we were kids.” 

“He s-said Eddie d-d-didn’t make it.” Bill stuttered, looking between the two men. 

Richie turned his head to look at Mike, and the darker-skinned man looked right back at him. He hadn’t been wrong when he called and told their friends the truth. There was an accident, or really, an attack. And Eddie hadn’t made it, though that all changed now. 

The door swung open before anybody could say a word and Eddie stood there, those bloodshot eyes of his looking around the group. “Having a party without me?” He asked slowly. 

Mike immediately stepped away, looking as if he was ready to jump over the banister if it meant putting space between himself and Eddie. Stan and Bill, looking utterly baffled, look in the sight of their best friend. 

“What, did they resuscitate him?” Stan asked, searching for answers. 

“Yes,” Richie replied back. “For a moment he died, but now he’s back. All stitched up and looking brand new.” 

“I have to go,” Mike muttered, pushing passed Bill so he could make a run for it. 

Stan and Bill watched as he went, all the while Eddie just turned to Richie, speaking quietly. “I don’t think Mike likes me very much.” 

“He’s just stressed, honey.” Richie sighed, placing a hand on Eddie’s shoulder. He looked to Bill and Stan, extending his hand for them to enter their suite. 

He told the two about the attack, leaving out the part where he found Eddie floating dead in the water, and choosing to focus on how the police wouldn’t take it seriously because Bowers was on the force. 

“Are you surprised? His dad did all sorts of fucked up shit and got away with it scot-free.” Stan mentioned as they settled around the couch. 

The room didn’t have much to offer aside from the couch and small tv. The one plus size was the radio in the corner, which Eddie had put on in hopes of simmering some of the tension.

They were all drinking coffee, except for Eddie, who held onto his cup without taking a sip. He didn’t speak much, though neither Bill or Stan questioned it. Richie played it off as them both still coping with what happened, with Eddie still harboring some shock to himself. 

“I feel bad for you guys coming up here. Like a wasted trip.” Richie mentioned, standing to refill his cup in the kitchen. 

“Call it an impromptu vacation!” Bill said slowly, watching his tongue to keep himself from stuttering. “Besides. Who doesn’t love coming back to visit?”

“Breath in that beautiful Derry air,” Richie muttered with a smirk, looking over the island. 

He watched as Eddie set the mug down on the coffee table and walk over to the radio in the corner. The song had changed to a N*SYNC original that Richie had used to sing back when they were in college. It was a pretty decent song, though hearing it enough times on campus and the whole song basically becoming a meme overtime was enough to make anybody go mad. 

“Just turn it off, babe.” He called out. 

Rather than turning it off, however, Eddie took hold of the radio, lifting it like it didn’t weigh a thing, and flung it across the room until it shattered into dozens of pieces against the wall. Both Bill and Stan jumped from their seats, staring at the shorter male as he had suddenly grown a third head. 

“Dude!” 

“What the f-f-fuck, Eddie?” 

“Well, you know him.” Richie laughed off, waving his hand casually. “He’s always been more of a Backstreet kind of guy. We’ll ugh, we’ll have to pay for that, babe.” 

“Silence. Finally.” Eddie sighed, looking back to the others. He locked eyes with Richie, who kept his smile on even though he had very little idea of what to do intros situation. 

“Hey, Eds? Why don’t you go lay down, hon? Take Penny with you and catch a few z’s?” 

Richie half expected Eddie to rebuff him since he didn’t seem tired despite looking it, but he instead gave a sharp whistle, calling for the pom to follow him inside. Penny, who had been gnawing on a pair of Eddie’s shoes, followed him into the bedroom without question. 

“Is he all right?” Stan asked after a moment. 

Richie waved him away, brushing it off once again. “He’s fine. Just a lot to take in, you know? We’re going home tomorrow. I think we’ve had enough of Derry for a lifetime.” 

“We can imagine.”

“So uh, was that a ring on Eddie’s finger?” Bill asked, quirking a brow to him.

Richie wanted to tell them how romantic the proposal had been. Maybe he would confess that it was the proposal that set Bowers off or maybe he’d lie and say it was everything anyone could have asked of. Regardless, he never got the chance to say anything on the matter.

The phone went off suddenly and Richie knew it wasn’t his. When Bill and Stan didn’t rush off to pick it up, he figured it had to be Eddie’s. Low and behold, Eddie’s phone sat idle on the counter, buzzing and ringing simultaneously. Richie flipped it over and saw it was Sonia. He sighed deeply, knowing if he didn’t respond she would just continue calling. 

So he picked it up, allowing his future mother in law to scream in his ear about how he distracted her son enough for him to not call her in the past twenty-four hours. Richie tried to remember that it could have been a lot worse. That he could have had Sonia screaming at him and blaming him for the death of her son. Richie wanted to shut her up by telling her that the only reason she still had a son was because of him, but he kept his mouth shut until finally promising to drop Eddie off so they could have supper together before they left. 

He waited an hour, letting Eddie rest and chatting Stan and Bill. They planned on staying until the next day, wanting to visit Bill’s parents before heading back to Long Island. When Richie went to the bedroom, he found Eddie sitting on top of the bed, petting Penny carefully. The pup seemed like her normal self again, except for when Richie moved to sit on the edge and she began growling in earnest. 

Richie ignored her, focusing solely on Eddie. “I promised your mom you’d have dinner with her.” He told him carefully. “I figured I’d drop you off and then come back here to pack. We’ll have tomorrow morning after grabbing breakfast with Bill and Stan.” 

“I’m not hungry,” Eddie told him shortly. 

“I know, but your mom will throw a fit if you don’t see her before we go. I promise I’ll grab everything. You won’t even have to do a room check tomorrow morning.” 

Eddie rolled his head along his shoulders, looking wildly unimpressed with Richie’s promise. “Fine.” He decided, lifting up Penny and plopping her down onto the bed beside him. She stayed there, though bore her teeth out to Richie as if reminding him that she was willing to bite if needed.

Richie drove Eddie out of town and into the suburbs where his childhood hold resided. He couldn’t help but think back to when they were kids, living only three blocks away from each other. They used to ride their bikes so freely back then, not caring how late it got or how fast they were going. 

Richie spoke along the way, all while Eddie remained perfectly silent, just staring out the window. When they pulled up, Eddie looked back at him. “I’ll pick you up in two hours, okay?” He swore, leaning forward to kiss Eddie gently. “Try to have fun, all right? And don’t let the stupid shit she says get to you. I love you.” 

Eddie moved to get out of the car without a word, but Richie stopped him. “Forgetting something?” 

They had made it their thing, never leaving one another without saying how they felt. Even if they were angry or if they’d only be gone for an hour. It came from the constant need of being reminded that even when things were going badly, they always had one good thing going for themselves and that was each other. 

Eddie closed his eyes, his eyes squinting as he thought long and hard about what he was supposed to say. Finally, his eyes opened, the brown and red mixing together in such a strange way. “I love you too.” He replied somberly, turning to get out of the car. 

Richie watched as his mother met him at the door. He waved to Sonia, but only got a glare in response. He was used to that shit. Nothing new. He just hoping at Sonia didn’t question Eddie’s odd behavior too much and let him leave without much of a fight.

It didn’t take him very long to pack up their suite. Eddie had unpacked their belongings and maybe he brought more than he needed, but worrying about travel-sized toothbrushes and mouth wash was the last time on Richie’s mind. He threw everything into the toiletries bag and decided he’d worry about the lack of organization when they got back to New York.

He thought about calling Mike and telling him that they were heading out that morning but he didn’t want to deal with his overt weirdness towards the situation. Richie didn’t fucking understand his reluctance. He had shown the burial ground when Penny passed, what difference did it make who or what was buried there? 

Richie couldn’t allow himself to worry about any of that. He stopped by the pharmacy to pick up extra bandages and scar cream they’d need once they arrived home. He didn’t know how long the stitches in his cheek would have to stay but he wanted to make sure that there was mark remaining as an endless reminder of what happened. 

Richie made a mental note to make these last moments last because they would never be coming back to Derry if it was the last thing he did. He sent Eddie a text or two, wanting to keep him updated on everything. 

He didn’t get a response though he didn’t worry about it much. Eddie was still adjusting after everything. A smartphone really wasn’t the most important thing to focus on right now. 

It was just over two hours later that Richie returned to the Kaspbrak household. Dozens of memories fluttered into Richie’s mind as he approached the small ranch home. All the times he used to sneak into Eddie’s bedroom when they were kids and later teenagers. How they used to lay in his best, making out or going further. 

They lost their virginities in Richie’s room because his house was more vacant than Eddie’s. They changed the sheets, buying brand new ones that didn’t smell like cologne and sweat. It wasn’t romantic and wasn’t perfect but Richie wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

He knocked carefully, getting no response. It was open, something he was surprised by as Sonia made it very clear she didn’t trust a single person in this town and would keep the door locked constantly, even if she and Eddie were both homes. 

When he opened the door, he called out to Eddie. He entered carefully, looking into the kitchen where Eddie was standing alone. He was filing his nails, a look of annoyance spread across his face. 

“Dirt, and grime, and whatever else I had to dig through to get out of that hole you put me in.” He grumbled, moving to extend his hand to Richie to show him. “Disgusting.”

Richie took his hand without hesitation. He brought it to his lips, kissing it softly. “I promise when we get to New York, I’ll take you to get a manicure.” He swore gently. “We’ll both go. Make a spa day out of that.” 

“Always taking care of me,” Eddie muttered, his head docking slowly as he watched him.

“It’s my job. I’m always going to take care of you.” Richie told him. “Where’s your mom?” 

Eddie pointed with the nail file into the sitting room. The tv could be heard from where they were in the kitchen.

“We better get going,” Richie mentioned, shoving his hands into his pockets. Eddie made no movement, showed no exchange in his bland, almost bored expression. “Do you want to say goodbye?” He added.

Eddie pushed off the counter and moved to walk out of the kitchen and into the sitting room where his mother was sitting in her usual chair. He bent down, kissing the top of her head. “Goodbye, mommy.” He whispered softly.

“Is she sleeping?” It wouldn’t have been the first time Sonia had fallen asleep in her favorite armchair while watching tv. Richie moved deeper into the room, preparing to wish his future mother in law a quiet goodbye but those words never hit his tongue.

Sonia Kaspbrak was sitting in her favorite chair, head back and jaw slack. It would appear that she had only been sleeping if only for the fact that her eye sockets were complete hollowed out, and dry blood was staining her cheeks. Her head wasn’t crushed completely, though it seemed her skull had taken a beating. 

Richie had seen horror movies were people put the heads of their enemies into a vice was crushed them onwards, and it seemed as if a similar tool had been used on her. Except there was no tool insight. No weapon in sight, actually. Except for Eddie.

“What...what did you do?” Richie asked, stumbling back, falling over the coffee table and hitting the floor as the horrific sight remained just feet from him. 

“She wouldn’t stop nagging,” Eddie told him easily. “She kept going on and on about every little thing. About me. About you. She said the most horrible things about you, Richie.”

“That...that isn’t anything new, Eddie. You...she’s _dead_. You _killed _her.” 

“She just wouldn’t stop, even when I tried to get her to.” Eddie circles the chair, his bloodshot eyes focusing on his mother’s corpse. “I told her things, hoping she’d be quiet. I told her how happy we were without her. How much I liked it when you bend me over my work desk at home. I told her about how we fucked on her kitchen table mere minutes before having Thanksgiving dinner all those years ago. About the time you rode me on her bed on Sunday morning after a sleepover when she was at church”

“Christ, Eddie.” Richie shivered at the memory, tearing his gaze from the horrific scene to look to his fiancé. “Were you trying to give her a heart attack?” 

“I told her about her husband and how he was glad to be dying,” Eddie mentioned suddenly. “He found joy in his suffering because of meant getting away from her. His only regret was leaving his son behind because he knew she would destroy him.” 

Eddie turned away from his mother and looked to Richie with a sense of determination. “She made me weak, Richie. She wanted to keep me weak, just like him. Even now. Even after all this time she wanted to keep me away from you. She wanted to hurt us, Richie.” 

“That doesn’t mean...Eddie I know she hasn’t always been the most acceptable but this....”

“I put her out of her misery.” Eddie declared. 

Richie could imagine the poor woman, putting up with all the terrible things her son was saying. A son that had never said or done anything bad in his entire life. He could see Sonia sitting in her favorite chair, probably crying over whatever Eddie had said to her as her boy crept up behind her and crushed her head with his bare hands. Pushing in her eyeballs with his thumbs like he was popping off loose buttons on an old jacket.

“Please don’t be mad, Richie,” Eddie begged softly, moving to stand closer to the taller man now. His eyes, though dark and twisted, appeared to gentle as his overall expression contorted into what Richie could only make out to be a sense of regret. “I just want us to be together. With no one standing in our way.”

In retrospect, Richie knew this wasn’t good. Eddie had always been squeamish around blood and violence. Even when they used to read those Cult Classic comic books and sneak into horror movies, he always flipped the page or turned his head at the sign of blood or guts. It was hard to believe that angelic Eddie Kaspbrak, the man with the fiery tongue but the weak stomach was capable of causing such harm. 

“I’ll take care of this,” Richie promised. He found a sheet from the hall closet and draped it over Sonia out of respect and drove Eddie back to the townhouse. He instructed him to stay in the bedroom before calling Stan and Bill to come over. 

He explained the situation carefully, leaving out any parts that were strictest need-to-know. All that mattered was that Eddie’s mom was dead and he wasn’t handling it well. 

“G-god. First B-Bowers and now this.” Bill mentioned. Eddie appeared in the doorway then and the taller male canine forward, wrapping his arms around Eddie for an embrace. 

Richie watched as Eddie just stood there. He didn’t push Bill away but he didn’t move to embrace him either. 

“I’m so s-sorry Eddie,” Bill muttered.

“It’s all right, Billy,” Eddie replied.

“Just remember, it gets easier to handle,” Bill promised. “I know how you feel.” 

“You do know, don’t you?” Eddie bused. In an odd turn of events, Eddie pulled Bill closer to him, fighting him tightly to his chest. He pressed his lips to Bill’s heat and whispered to him. Richie couldn’t make it out but it was clear that whatever it was, Bill didn’t want to hear it.

He pushed away from Eddie, the color in his face draining significantly. 

“Bill. I need your help dealing with her.” 

“I can stay with Eddie,” Stan offered quickly. “I’ve never been good with...that sort of thing.” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

It was a known fact that despite being raised in a religious household that looked at death as almost a welcome home package to those sweet pearly cages, Stan never liked the idea of it. Richie thought back to their childhood where the young man was too worried to even get a pet because he feared to have to bury it outback.

“Eds, why don’t you go lay down for a bit?” Richie offered. “We’ll be back soon. I promise.” 

“I’m not tired,” 

“You don’t know that until your body hits the mattress. Come on, do this for me, huh?” 

Eddie rolled his eyes but did as Richie requested, going off to the bedroom with Penny in tow. The pup followed along, pausing only to quickly piss against one of the packed up suitcases. 

Richie grabbed his keys, turning to Stan. “Whatever you do, don’t let him leave the apartment.” 

“Why?”

“Too much has happened to him in the past few days. I want him to stay and relax before anything else could possibly happen in this town. Come on, Bill.” 

Richie led the other male out, hurrying down to the car as hopping inside. Bill was uncharacteristically quiet, throwing Richie off as they drove into the neighborhoods.

“Is he always like that when he’s upset?” Bill questioned. 

“He has never been upset like this before,” Richie replied. “It’s just stress, you know? Whatever he said or did, he didn’t mean it.”

“He mentioned G-Georgie,” Bill confessed somberly. “He said he knew I didn’t mean for any of it to happen and that I j-just didn’t want top-p-play with him. He said we all c-couldn’t be great b-big b-b-brothers.” 

Bill didn’t talk much about his brothers dead. The young boy has been hit by a car on a rainy day while chasing a paper boat when they were just kids. Normally Bill would have been with him, as they were practically inseparable, but on this particular day, Bill stayed home. 

He felt guilty for it, as was expected for such a terrible thing, but he hadn’t mentioned it in years. He also never mentioned the reason why he wasn’t with Georgie that morning. When it happened, Richie and the others had expected him to be ill or something as the weather was crummy out that day, but now it seemed truths were being revealed. 

Richie faltered when it came to replying. What was he to say? Eddie would never normally be so cruel, so careless, but Eddie wasn’t his normal self anymore. “People grieve differently, Bill. Don’t take it personally.” He suggested.

Bill was quiet for the rest of the drive. Richie tried to think about what they were going to do once they arrived. Not like they could just call the police and say she died in her sleep. He tried to think if they would do DNA testing in such a small, shitty town. Maybe if he blamed it on Bowers, the police would just sweep it under the rug the same way they did with Eddie’s death. 

When they arrived at the house, Richie leads Bill inside. Sonia was still in her chair, the sheet hanging over her, shielding her from any light or wondering eyes. 

  
For the tiniest moment, Richie thought about bringing Sonia up to the burial ground. If Penny and Eddie came back, then surely she would do. He chose against this, deciding it wouldn’t be what Eddie would want. After all, he did this for a reason. He didn’t want his mother prying into their lives anymore. Bringing her back would only cause more trouble. 

So instead he decided that calling the police and saying that they found her like this was the only option. He knew it was a terrible option. No one has come looking for him after he took Eddie’s body from the hospital, but if they did he’d chalk it up as a misunderstanding and mistake. After all, Eddie was still alive. Back at the townhouse, alive and somewhat well. 

Bill approached the chair cautiously, sighing deeply. “Is it bad that I thought she’d go sooner?” He mentioned quietly. “She wasn’t exactly healthy. Even with all the pills, she pumped into Eddie, she never took care of herself properly.” 

“Those were all sugar pills.” Richie reminded him. “Health was the last time on her mind. She just didn’t want him to leave the house.”

“Well. Look what happened to him when he did.” Bill stated, giving Richie a pointed look. 

Richie raised his eyebrows because really, Bill didn’t know the half of it. He went into the kitchen, deciding to use the old house phone on the wall to call the cops. He had just begun dialing, waiting for the dispatcher to pick up when in the corner the eye he saw Bill lift the sheet. 

“Bill, no!” 

“_What the fuck!?_” Bill stumbled back, throwing himself against the far wall as Sonia’s mutilated head was revealed. 

Richie hung up the phone, hurrying over to cover her once again. 

“W-what hh-happened?” Bill stuttered out. 

“She died, Bill. What does it look like?” 

“T-that is n-n-not just d-dead, Richie! It l-looks like her s-s-skull caved in!” Bill cried, gesturing to Sonia’s corpse across the way. “D-did Eddie fi-find her like this?” 

Richie didn’t reply. He looked over his shoulder at Bill, having no clue what to say or do. Could he tell his best friend what had happened over the past few days? Would Bill even believe him? Richie wouldn’t have believed Mike if it hadn’t been out of desperation. 

It seemed the silence was enough for Bill to translate and he pushed himself further down the wall, going to stand closer to the door. “No.” He breathed out slowly. “Eddie . . . Eddie wouldn’t h-h-hurt a f-f-fly.” 

“I’m going to call the cops and take care of this,” Richie assured him. 

Bill’s phone began ringing. He finished it from his pocket, watching the name appear on the screen. “It’s S-Stan.” 

“Don’t say a word about this!” Richie ordered as Bill answered. 

“Stan. Hey.” Bill spoke slowly. “Y-yeah, one-s-s-second.” He pulled the phone from his ear, tapping on the screen until it was on speaker. 

“He’s acting weird, guys,” Stan mentioned carefully. “He’s been trying to leave for the past five minutes. And the dog is barking and growling at me. I’ve never seen Penny like this.”

“She isn’t adjusting to Maine very well,” Richie explained. 

“Richie . . . is everything okay with him?” Stan asked carefully. “He seems off. He started talking about things from when we were kids. This isn’t like him.” 

“Just tell him to go back into the bedroom,” Richie instructed.

There was a rustling for a moment and a new voice got onto the phone. “I’m waiting for you, Richie,” Eddie spoke slowly. “You’re taking too long.” 

“I’m going to take care of this and then I’ll be back. And then we’ll go, okay? We won’t even spend the night here.” 

“Just h-hang out with S-Stan, Eddie. We’ll be f-f-finished soon.” 

Eddie laughed then, low and unlike his normal chuckle. “Oh, we’re going to have fun. Won’t we Stan? Just like you and the old Rabbi used to have fun in his office at the Temple. Don’t you remember, Stanley?” 

“How do you know about that?” Stan asked in the background, his voice shallow and weak. 

“I’ll be waiting, Richie,” Eddie promised, ending the call then. 

Bill stared at Richie with wide eyes. “S-Stan nev-never mentioned that to a-a-anyone but me.” He confessed. “W-what the f-f-fuck is going on, Richie?”

“We have to leave. We have to get back to the townhouse.” Richie told him quickly. 

“W-what about his m-mom?” 

“She’s dead! What more can we do? We’ll call the cops later. Right now we have to get back to Eddie and Stan.” 

Bill followed, not having much of a choice. They drove at warped speed, cutting through the area and back into the town. Traffic wasn’t ideal, but Richie knew the area well enough to take all the backroads and made it back to the townhouse. 

They rushed up, heading into his suite only to find it empty. Richie called out to both of them but got no response. “Our car is gone,” Bill mentioned quietly. “I didn’t see it out front.” 

“Maybe they went for a drive?” Richie suggested loosely. 

Bill left the suit, going across the way to his own room, finding it empty as well. Richie inspected his suite, trying to fight any sign of where they could have gone. He whistled for Penny, but there was no response. Did Eddie take her with him when they left? He followed his instinct and went into the bedroom, finding it wasn’t as empty as he thought it would be. 

Eddie was gone and so was Penny, but Stan was there. Pressed up against the headboard with his jaw detached and eyes wide with shock. He was gone, that much was for sure.

The sight alone was enough for Richie to lose the contents of his stomach, and he turned to puke in the nearby faux plant. 

When Bill came back into the suite, he was saying that Stan’s keys were gone, but his wallet was still sitting on the dresser. Richie was wiping his mouth off with his hand, trying to keep composure as he shut the door. 

Bill caught this, however, and moved closer. “Wh-what is it?” 

“We have to go.” He told him. “We have to go find Eddie.” 

“Fi-find Eddie? What about Stan? Do you think they l-left together? Where is P-Penny?” He moved closer, only to be cut off by Richie standing in front of the door. “What-what is in there?” 

“Don’t worry about it. Big Bill, we have to go.” 

“R-Richie, what is in there?” 

Despite being shorter than him, Bill was stronger than Richie. He always had been. So it was easy for him to push past the other man and make it into the bedroom. 

Richie understood first hand the pain and anguish that came from seeing the person you love dead without any chance of resuscitation. He had been trying to protect Bill from that sight, but he failed once again. Richie knew all about the five stages of grief and he watched with a heavy heart as Bill went through the first four of them. 

He grumbled to the floor of the bedroom, shaking with disbelief and horror. There was no running to the hospital, there was no calling an ambulance. Just like Eddie’s, Stan’s eyes were wide open and glassy. There was nothing behind them, as the light and his life was gone. 

Bill crawled onto the bed to wrap his arms around Stan just as Richie had cradled Eddie on the shore of the river. It was a hopeless embrace but one that was needed by those involved in it. 

“W-why?” Was all Bill would mutter out.

Why indeed. Why did they have to come here? Why did Richie bring Eddie back? Why was Eddie causing so much mayhem? 

In the depths of his mind, Richie could understand why he ended his mother's life. She was cruel and put him through so much as a child and teen. Stan has been nothing but a good and honest friend to Eddie and he ended his life like it was nothing. 

Ripped apart his jaw like it was velcroed to his head. Left him slack on the bed as if to offer a small amount of comfort just as he did by leaving his mother in her chair. Eddie was going back and forth between doing the most horrible of acts while also leaving his victims in a state of rest. None of it was adding up for Richie and he knew it was just going to get worse.

“I did this.” He announced, pulling a weeping Bill out of his hysteria. “I caused this. And I am going to fix this. I have to find Mike.”

Leaving his blubbering mess of a friend behind, Richie ran out of the townhouse and across town to Mike’s home. He still lives on the farm despite it no longer being in business. Gone were the sheep and cattle they would breed and use for meat. Now it was just dead grass for miles and miles.

Mike knew why he was here, as he had been expecting this for a while. 

“I tried to warn you. To tell you that this wouldn’t end well.” 

“There has to be a way to stop this. To control these urges.” 

“There is no control, Rich. Look I tried to tell you before, about the guy my grandfather knew. Look his son died overseas and when they shipped his body back he buried him up on the hill. He came back but he wasn’t the same. He was messed up in the end. He would terrify the people in town and get enjoyment out of it. He’d talk about things he had no way of knowing. It was like he wasn’t himself anymore. His body but not his soul.” 

Richie thought about all the horrible things Eddie had said that were so unlike himself. The enjoyment he got out of ending his mother’s life. How much fun he planned on having with Stanley. It wasn’t Eddie that had returned. Richie was sure of that now. 

“What has he done, Richie?” Mike asked carefully. Richie turned his head, offering nothing more than a mournful look. “Who has he hurt?” 

“His mother.” He revealed, swallowing hard as he continued. “Stan too.” 

“How bad is it?” 

Richie knew there was no way around it. No way to beat around the bush. There was no practical way to make it sound any less terrible than it actually was. “They’re gone.”

Mike swallowed hard, turning away from Richie as emotions ran through him. Richie might have been the cause of Eddie returning but Mike was the one who told him where the place was in the first place. Mike was the one that called Stan and asked him to come back to Derry to help Richie cope with his loss. 

They were both at fault, that much was obvious. 

One more than the other, however. 

“You have to end this, Rich.” 

“There has to be a way to stop him. To bring Eddie back to normal.” 

“There is no Eddie anymore, Rich.” Mike reasoned. “He’s done. He died that night at the bridge. Whoever you brought back may look and sound like him, but it’s not.” He moved to the corner of the room, rustling around in a nearby draw. “That guy I told you about? He killed people too. And his father knew he had to be stopped. So he killed him. Set him and the house on fire and then shot himself to go down with the ship.” 

When Mike turned, he had a gun in his hand. Nothing fancy or even very practical. It was an old bolt gun that his grandfather had used on the animals prior to slaughter. He held it out for Richie to take. “Sometimes . . . dead is better. Now it’s your turn to do the same.”

Richie swallowed hard, his eyes lifting from the gun to lock eyes with Mike. “What if I can’t do that?”

“Someone will. He has to be stopped, Rich. You brought him back, so you have to send him away.” 

Richie knew he was right. It only made sense that he’d be the one to stop Eddie. He probably was the only one that could stop him. He had to put an end to this one way or another. 

Reaching out, he tentatively took the bolt gun from his friend's hand. “I don’t know where he is.” He admitted. “I left him with Stan and he just took off in Bill’s car.”

“He could be hunting,” Mike suggested. “Or he could be trying to lore you out.”

“Why me?”

“That army guy didn’t want to kill his father. He wanted them to be together forever. Eddie could want the same. He’d go somewhere special, somewhere he knew you’d go.”

Richie rattled off the choices in his mind. There were so many that would fit them. Their special places. He left with a nod, heading out and off to the places he thought of. First was the Aladdin where they had their first and last date. All the movies they had seen there, all the memories they made. Richie found it closed and no Eddie insight. 

The second was the pharmacy where they used to hang around while Eddie got his faux medication. It was down the alleyway where Eddie first kissed him when they were just fifteen. It was spontaneous and exciting and neither looked back after that. He wasn’t there either so Richie carries on. 

The final place was along the bridge but there was no sign of him. Richie got out of his car and walked the length of it, looking over the spot where he had proposed. Where Bowers tosses him overboard. He ran his fingers over the faded carvings of their initials and dug his keys from his pocket to add new depth to the E, the + and the R. He looked over the carving, realizing it would be the last time he ever saw it. 

He stood, remembering there was still one more place to go. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to the person who can guess which N*SYNC song set Eddie off 
> 
> Also, sorry for killing Stan. I know Stephen did it first, but fuck me for doing it again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween to the select few who are reading this! Hope you enjoy this chapter. I know it's darker than most of my stories, but you can't have a horror crossover without some darkness.

Richie made his way through the woods, walking the familiar path that they used to take as kids. It was strange being back all these years but found he still remembered every tree and stump and log. He moved over the water and through the badlands until finally coming across the clubhouse.

They originally planned for it to be a treehouse but found nobody other than Ben was very good at building. They needed stronger materials for it to hold their weight and couldn’t find a tree high enough that would work for them.

So instead he found a hole in the ground that was used as a war bunker that had been abandoned. After joking around about land mines and other shit they cleaned it up and turned it into their home away from home. 

They had lanterns and comics. Ben built them a hammock to swing on that Eddie and Richie fought over endlessly before deciding to share it. Head to feet they used to lay before deciding that it was pointless to make distance and they’d snuggle up together with ease. 

Richie knew he found the right place when he heard the gentle music playing in the distance. At some point, Bill had brought down an old battery-operated stereo that they’d play CDs on. They each had their selection and would share with the others to widen their music taste. 

Richie and Eddie would escape here sometimes when they needed to be alone and they would listen to music they never play for the others. It was that music now that was playing from the clubhouse. 

Richie swallowed hard, pushing the bolt gun behind his back, hidden behind his belt and a button-down shirt. He stepped forward, preparing to go down below but found himself being stopped by Penny, who was seemingly guarding the door. He thought about using the bolt gun but didn’t want to waste any bullets. 

“I’m so sorry, baby girl.” He muttered quietly. The dog growled and lunged at him. Richie moves forward, kicking his leg out until his foot connected with the small, fluffy demon dog, throwing her across the woods until she slammed against a tree. She whimpered shortly, the sound sending a familiar shiver down Richie’s back. 

He approached carefully, a stray tear falling from his cheek. Penny lifted her head slightly, bearing her teeth for one finally growl. Richie stepped forward, stomping onto her neck and snapping it, putting the bastard out of her misery. 

He found it ironic how all of this would have been avoided if he had just told Eddie the truth and allowed Penny to stay dead when she fell from that window. It would have brought on a whole different world of trouble, but a lot of people would still be alive.

Turning back, he went to go into the clubhouse. He took it once step at a time and until he was below ground. Off in the corner, standing by the lantern was Eddie. 

His clothes were splattered with blood, something the actual Eddie would be fussing over. Richie could think of all the times they had been cooking together and any time Eddie got even a splatter of sauce or any other ingredients onto him, he’s whine and pout until he could change his shirt. 

The blood wasn’t surprising to Richie, as Eddie had only previously murdered Stan just a few hours prior. What was surprising, however, was that in his arms, cradled like a newborn child or the way he would even hold Penny, was a severed head. 

Richie didn’t know whose head it was until he got closer and he found himself stumbling back, his stomach tightening as he fought the urge to vomit once again. 

“I stopped by for a small visit. I just wanted to give him his knife back.” Eddie admitted, smiling down to Bowers' distorted head. “He said the dirtiest things to me, Richie. Called me such horrible things. He had no idea I was still alive.”

“You’re not alive, Eddie,” Richie said carefully. 

“More alive than he is.” Eddie shrugged, tossing the head up and catching it playfully. Bowers face, which was lifeless and slant, stared vacantly at Richie. He swallowed hard, trying his best to keep his focus on the man speaking rather than the item in his hands. 

“He called me a faggot, you know. Said such cruel things to me. I told me I always acted like one. I offered to act like one again. Offered to help him out just like Hockstetter did down by the junkyard.” 

He looked up, smiling at Richie. “Didn’t you know? Patrick was such a good friend and lent Henry a hand one fine afternoon. I thought I’d be nice and do the same. Don’t worry, I sanitized.” He wiggles his fingers at him, gesturing to his clean hands. “Anyway. His dick was as floppy as one of your Sunday morning flapjacks so I twisted it off.” 

“You . . . you _twisted Henry Bowers dick off_?” 

“Is that considered cheating, sweetie?” Eddie asked softly, his smile fading as a look of worry came over him. “I made it better, didn’t I Rich? I got back at Bowers for everything he did to us.” He held up his head with triumphant. “It took a while. I used that pocket knife he used on me. Seemed only fair.”

“I’m . . . ’m proud of you, Ed’s.” Richie swallowed hard. 

“I bought you a present,” Eddie said, digging something out of his pocket and tossed it across the way. 

It was metal and heavy and as he inspected it in his arms, he found it was Henry’s police badge. He gazed back at Eddie, who looked so proud of himself. Richie turned around, running his fingers over the badge, trying to piece together his thoughts. 

“Eddie . . . what did you do to Stan?” 

Eddie looked up at him, a bored glaze coming over his face. “We were just messing around. Having guy time.” He answered. “He wouldn’t let me leave. I’m not a child, Richie. I don’t have to be babysat.” 

“So you ripped his face apart? He was our friend, Eddie. I get Bowers. I even get your mom, but he was our friend. He was our best friend and you killed him.” 

“He was boring, Richie. Nothing more than a weak, scared little boy inside the body of an even weaker man.”

“Do you ever feel bad? Do you even have an ounce of regret? He was our friend, Eddie.” Richie asked, though he already knew the answer. 

There were no true feelings inside of him anymore. Eddie did whatever Eddie wanted because Eddie was no longer around. Whoever this was didn’t care about the love and devotion the friends had for each other. All it saw were useless bodies standing in the way of what it wanted. 

“_He was our friend!_” Richie shouted. Eddie didn’t jump back, didn’t look startled in the least. 

Eddie approached him slowly, rolling Henry’s head in his hands like a basketball he was preparing to dribble. “And now he’s gone. If you want him back so badly, bury him as you did me.” He said simply. “After all, you know what they say about Derry: those who dies here never really stay dead.” 

Turning on his heel, Eddie went over to the boombox, tossing Henry’s head aside like an afterthought as the change in the song came on. It had been their song. The old fifties turn that Richie used to sing playfully to Eddie back when they were kids and then teens and now as adults. If Richie had it his way he would use it as the song they had their first dance to even if the meaning of the song wasn’t all that romantic. 

“Dance with me, Rich?” He asked softly. 

Richie knew there was no denying him. There were only two ways this could play out, so Richie had to play his cards right so he would come out on top. 

He moved forward, going to wrap his arms around Eddie’s body slowly. He held him tight, taking in the lingering scent of the shampoo from their shower. He didn’t smell like Eddie used to. He barely even felt like him. 

They swayed together, lost in their little world. They had done this so many times as teens and young adults; sway together while being alone in a room, hidden away from the rest of the world. As the song faded out, Eddie slammed his hand on the boom box and made it repeat. Richie brought him over to the hammock, pulling him down so they could lay together like old days.

** _Eddie my love, I love you so_ **

** _How I've waited for you you'll never know_ **

** _Please Eddie, don't make me wait too long._ **

It just barely held their weight and Richie found himself closing his eyes and pretending. Pretending like all of this was completely okay. Like all the terrible acts Eddie had done in the past few days were nothing more than a bad dream. It was wishful thinking Richie knew but it was all he had for the time being. 

Moving his arm, he pulled it back to grab the bolt gun. He raised it slowly but before he could make it up all the way Eddie pounced. He rolled them over until they were out of the hammock and lying along the dirt floor. Richie went down hard with Eddie landing on top of him. He strapped Richie with ease and his hands went to Richie’s throat. 

“All I want is for it to be you and me!” Eddie insisted. “That’s all! Wouldn’t it be wonderful, Richie? Together forever, never to part. Just like that fucking Rick Ashley song.” 

“It’s Astley.” Richie corrected weakly.

Eddie tightened his hold against his neck, squeezing tightly. Richie thought about letting him do it. About ending his life because that was exactly what he deserved. He didn’t deserve a happy ending or even anything close. This was his fault and he had to pay for his sins. 

There was intent in his eyes, which were dark and more bloodshot than ever. Richie knew he wasn’t going to let up. That nothing he did or said would stop him at this point. As he said, he wanted them to be together forever. 

The dim light from the fire of the lantern caught Eddie’s ring and Richie was brought back to reality. 

“I love you, Richie. Don’t you love me?” Eddie asked desperately. “Say it!” 

“I do love Eddie.” Richie breathed out, his eyes rolling slightly at the lack of air. The creature above didn’t loosen up, didn’t release his hold. He continued to choke him out and the world got a little blinder as tears filled Richie’s eyes.

“But you’re not Eddie.”

With his last bit of strength, he grabbed the bolt gun and brought it to Eddie’s temple. There was no waiting or any final words. He pulled the trigger and sent Eddie off, his corpse hitting the ground beside him. Richie let out a strangled cry, looking over at his lover dead once again. 

Things could have been different. They could have been happy. If he hadn’t been so overzealous. If he hadn’t been so determined to make a change. If this town hadn’t been so terrible. They could have been happy, but that was all over now. No one would be happy ever again. 

Pushing up to his feet, he turned and threw the gun against the lantern, sending it flying against the wall. The old wood caught up quickly and he debated whether to remain with Eddie or go above. He knew there was nowhere else he’d rather be. 

So he pulled Richie back up into the hammock and held him as the world burned around them. Lifting the bolt gun, he brought it to his head just as the fire reached the hammock. With a kiss to Eddie’s head, he pulled the trigger. 

It was better this way. It was. Just like Mike said. Sometimes . . . dead is better. 

🎈🎈🎈

It was a few days later when Mike got the news that Bill was finally leaving Derry. He handled Stan’s death quietly, not wanting the whole town to mourn with him. Bill had always been a private person and Mike knew better than to pry. He didn’t know how the temple handled homosexuals and hoped that he had at least been allowed to bury his lover in his family's plot like Stan always wanted.

He sat with Bill at the table, watching as the clock ticked on. He had confessed everything to him. About the burial ground and was happened with Richie and Eddie. It ended tragically for them and Mike couldn’t help but blame himself for it happening. 

Bill took care of their funeral as well, having the most money out of the group excluding Beverly and Ben, who were lucky enough to not be involved in this. Mike didn’t want to say goodbye to his three best friends, but what choice did he have? 

“I’m sorry for everything, Bill.” He confessed quietly. “I know there is no excuse. If I could rewind time, I would.”

“I know, Mike. I know.” Bill mentioned quietly. 

He had been very quiet since Stan’s death. He didn’t handle it properly, but who could when the love of your life dies? Mike wanted to be there for him, but he knew the bill had to move on eventually. 

“Thank you for staying with me,” Bill told him quietly.

“Of course, man. Anything. So, when you get back to New York, what are your plans?”

“I’m not too sure. I haven’t thought about it much.” Bill admitted, swirling the whiskey in his glass. He looked back to the clock, staring aimlessly. “You know, my dad told me about that burial ground years back. After my brother died, my mom got desperate and thought about bringing him up there just to see if the legends were true, but my dad wouldn’t let her.” 

He leaned back, sipping slowly at his glass. “He spoke about the wendigo that watches over the woods and shit like that. I never believed him, but he seemed serious about it.” 

“Explains where you get your inspiration from.” Mike teased, though Bill didn’t laugh or even smoke. Mike opened his mouth to speak, to question what it was Bill was thinking, but there was a knock on the door. “Are you expecting someone?” He asked softly. When Bill did not move to answer, he got up and went across to answer it. 

“A few people,” Bill said slowly.

When the door opened, Mike’s heart stilled. He remembered days like this when he was a kid. They would meet up now and then at his farm; shivering in the cold weather on his stoop until he stepped away to let them inside. 

“Hi Mikey,” Richie muttered, glasses practically melted onto his face. His clothing and body were scarred from the burns and he had a hole in his head from the bolt gun. 

“Aren’t you going to let us in?” Stan asked, his jaw wired bolted back in place, though he didn’t look any less disheveled. 

Eddie pushed through the two, smiling in such a sinister way that Mike knew there was no going back now. He had a hole that matched Richie’s and his clothing and skin were burnt badly. “Don’t be rude, Michael. What would grandpa think?”

Mike screamed as they made their way into the suite. All the while Bill sat at the table, finishing his drink as calmly as ever. As he placed the glass down, he sighed and looked back at the group. “All right boys. Let’s have some fun.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not the original ending, but I thought about it while on an NYC bus and my wonderful friends Nani and Flor thought it was hilarious, so I had to add it in. 
> 
> Also, please listen to this song! The lyrics work very well and are amusing for the chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ox3krkqDlI

Ben was in the middle of cooking when he heard the baby say their first word. The three of them were sitting at the kitchen, enjoying their afternoon. Beverly was feeding Beau while Ben was working on their meal. 

He had the speaker playing to a decent level; loud enough for them all to hear but not blasting to the point where they couldn’t hear each other people. "One Way Love” by EG Daily had always been a favorite of Ben’s, even if people didn’t know it as well as he did. 

He had been experimenting in the kitchen, working with different flavors and spices. He followed countless food blogs and watched the Food Network and Cooking Channel on his iPad. 

His latest project was a huge success and that allowed him to take some time off to spend with his two favorite people in the world. Beverly’s latest line was currently being workshopped, allowing her to have some free time as well. 

They always made sure their vacation lined up together, but it was nice to have some spontaneous free time to spend together without any real planning or expectations. 

“The weather is supposed to be nice this weekend,” Beverly mentioned lightly, turning her head to give her husband a loving smile. “We could take the boat out.” 

Ben smiles, knowing how much his wife loved the water. It was their little getaway whenever they needed to be away from the world. 

“Do you want to go out on the boat? Say: daddy I wanna go sailing!” She cooed to the child, spooning more applesauce into the baby's mouth. 

“I don’t see why not. We’re completely free,” Ben mentioned over his shoulder.

They grew fond of the boat, as it had been a wedding gift to Beverly. They went on it whenever they had the chance and had yet to take their little one out on it, choosing to go to the beach or resorts instead. 

“Do you wanna go on the boat, cutie?” She asked sweetly 

“Boat!” Beau replied, causing both parents to gasp. 

“We got our first word!” Ben cheered aloud, throwing his hands up triumphantly. 

“Oh come on! I had my money on mama!” Beverly whined though it was beautiful nonetheless. Beau babbled on, repeating the world happily.

“Sorry beautiful, you’ll have to try again with number two,” Ben said, swooping down to kiss her cheek. 

Ben’s phone began to ring then and he flipped it around to see it was Mike calling. “Mike! Buddy, you’ll never guess what just happened.” 

“Something wonderful I’m sure,” Mike replied slowly. 

“Beau spoke! Can you believe that? The first world already!” 

“That’s great, Benjamin. Why don’t you come by Derry to celebrate?” Mike suggested. 

“Derry? I thought you were heading down to Florida for the summer.” Ben mentioned offhand.

“Change of plans. Everybody’s here. Richie and Eddie. Bill and Stan. The whole gang is getting together for some fun.”

“Oh yeah?” Ben pulled the phone off his ear, looking to Beverly. “The whole gang is getting back together in Derry.” 

Beverly narrowed her eyes, her fiery red hair cocking slightly to the side. “I wonder what for.” 

“Maybe Richie or Bill popped the question.” 

“Join us, Ben,” Stan spoke into the speaker.

Richie was next, smiling into the phone. “You’re missing it man. We’re having a _killer _time.” 

“It’s a trip to _die for_,” Eddie snickered. 

“I think they’re drunk,” Ben whispered offline.

“Already?” Beverly mentioned, looking to the clock. “Ben, are we boring?” 

“Are we boring or are they just lushes?” Ben chuckled. 

“Benny, come on! You have to drop by.” Bill insisted. He was the only sober sounding one, though Ben was sure that wouldn’t last. 

“What do they want?” Beverly questioned.

“For us to drop by Derry. I don’t know maybe they’re celebrating something.” 

They didn’t even contemplate it since going back to Derry would have to involve either getting a nanny for the period so they could go without their child. Or worse, bringing their child along and inflicting them with all the horrors that are their little town of Maine. 

“Oh, that’s not happening. No way are we taking the baby to that place. Fuck that.” Beverly paused, smiling to the baby. “Don’t repeat that word just yet okay?” 

“A baby saying fuck would be pretty cute,” Her husband mused. 

“Ben, the food is burning.” His wife pointed out. 

Ben swore aloud, turning off the stove. The song suddenly changed to a New Kids on the Block track and Beverly clapped happily, cheering on with the baby. 

“Time for daddy’s jam session!” 

“Sounds like a blast gentleman but we’re gonna have to pass. Maybe next time.” With that he ended the call, going to focus back on their meal and have an impromptu dance party with his family. 

Bill sighed, looking back to the group. “He hung up.” 

Bill was the only one unchanged of the group. The others found that he was more useful to them alive than he would be to end his life and have him be reborn like them. Having a man on the inside was important, especially since Eddie and Richie were still trying to heal themselves from their fiery fates and Mike, who had lost an eye during his murder was trying to find the right replacement. 

They released an array of groans, Richie going so far as to punch a hole in the wall beside him, but to the annoyance of the others. 

In the corner, Penny slept, waiting for her owners to decide for their latest hunt. Richie and Eddie spoiled her endlessly, getting her feast on the remaining animals that lived along Mike’s land. She was small and couldn’t hurt much on her own but she was vicious and her doting parents were more than happy to do what it takes to keep her fed.

“Greta Keene still lives in town,” Mike mentioned suddenly. 

They each exchanged a few glances before Eddie bobbed his head. It wasn’t ideal, but the men were growing hungry for more excitement and fun. This town didn’t offer much and he was sure that soon enough, they’d end up having to leave. 

For now, another old bully would be fine. 

“She’ll do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you reanimate for a second time? Who knows! Stan and Bill and Richie and Eddie are together again so semi-happy ending? 
> 
> That's it for this story! I hope the few who have chosen to read it enjoy it! Please check out new things coming from other amazing writers who took those crossover and made it their own. Never enough PS/IT works!

**Author's Note:**

> The fan art that inspired this fic can be found here: https://amikoroyaiart.tumblr.com/post/188301218977/pet-sematary-au 
> 
> Shout out to Nani for making the beautifully chilling mood board. And to all my friends for putting up with my specific brand of insanity and putting up with me while I wrote this.


End file.
